Please pay attention. What? You say you can’t? You’re a senior executive who has just been given a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? Welcome to the club. As reported in T2 today, the latest syndrome to afflict those with talent and ambition, but no knack for finding the car keys, seems to be ADHD. Like children, sufferers display an increasing inability to sit still in class (“meetings”). This is great news for those looking for an excuse for bad behaviour. Their problems are now solved, with a number of new ADHD drugs and a little extra consideration. But what of the 95-plus per cent of people who have no trouble paying attention, but must live, socialise or, worst, work alongside someone who does?
Herewith, a quick test to identify if your boss is a sufferer and so unable to maintain an extended attention span or fully complete a task. Award ten points for each “yes” answer. Do try to concentrate and read each question until the end.
Does your boss begin a meeting by asking: “Anything else?”? When his or her driver pauses at the entrance to a roundabout, is he likely to use the following phrase, or some version of it: “Take a risk in your life, man.” Would the following gifts cause your boss distress: tickets to a play with no intermission; his own sensory deprivation tank; a crossword puzzle? On holiday, does she unwind by sailing around the world, but then get bored halfway and decide to learn bookbinding instead? Just one “yes” and your boss could have ADHD. Now all you have to do is find a window in his or her diary and attempt to explain the significance of your discovery.